Bill Belichick opening defense of yet another Super Bowl championship against the franchise he still loves.

The star power of Saquon Barkley and Odell Beckham Jr.

We already know the Super Bowl LIII champion New England Patriots and the New York Giants will play each other in the regular season, and now here's something to consider: could Big Blue open the 2019 campaign in Foxborough as New England raises the banner to celebrate its sixth Vince Lombardi Trophy?

Not only is that a possibility, but a Patriots vs. Giants Week 1 matchup makes a lot of sense.

NBC traditionally broadcasts the Thursday night and Sunday night games in Week 1, so the network won't miss out on the Patriots by making such a scheduling change.

Here's where the Giants come in: you can sell them.

But wait: a team that has gone a combined 8-24 the last two seasons? Yes. Look, the Giants are going to play the Patriots this season regardless. In the preseason, they will be viewed as a team on the rise, looking to turn the page and ride the young superstar Barkley to a new era for the New York Football Giants with Manning likely back at quarterback for one more year.

New England quarterback Tom Brady and New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning greet each other during warm ups.(Photo11: Chris Pedota/NorthJersey.com)

Toss in a mega-celebrity such as Beckham with something to prove, and yes, the Giants will be a marquee team entering the season. The best part for the networks: they are far more attractive at 0-0 than the record they may be sporting come November as a challenging rebuild and reboot continues.

Will the Patriots be a heavy favorite in the eyes of the oddsmakers? Sure. But that will likely be the case for any opponent in that scenario. The Patriots will play the Chiefs and Steelers in addition to their AFC East division teams this season, but let's be honest: they're going to want to keep the Chiefs-Patriots game for later in the year.

The Steelers would be an interesting choice, of course, but likely without Le'Veon Bell and quite possibly no Antonio Brown either, the pregame talk would center on who isn't there. Pittsburgh also has a better chance of being a playoff contender than the Giants.

The Cowboys are a draw throughout the season, so it's likely the league would wait to spring that one on the national television audience, too.

30. Cardinals (30): Kliff Kingsbury inherits team with potential for quick-ish turnaround, but his dearth of pro experience could be impediment to early success. Rob Schumacher, The Republic-USA TODAY NETWORK

1. Patriots (7): What's left to say? Definitively the greatest dynasty in NFL history, even on heels of subpar (by their standards) regular season. Now in a race with Pittsburgh to be first seven-time Super Bowl champions. Greg M. Cooper, USA TODAY Sports

So, here's an intriguing option: the Browns. We all watched the NFL 100 commercial that stole the show at the Super Bowl, and the funny exchange between Brady and Baker Mayfield — and Brady's then-five Super Bowl rings — was one of the best moments. The Browns are clearly on the rise, though, and the NFL may want to hold the Patriots-Browns game until later in the season.

That brings us back to the Giants. Sure, there is a risk for a lopsided game, and no one wants that in a prime-time window. The Giants and Patriots traditionally play against one another the final preseason game, so that would mean if they were to meet Week 1, that exhibition slate would need to be tweaked.

The NFL scheduling process is a complicated one. The opponents are set years in advance, save for a pair of conference games determined by standings.

But the full schedule is announced in April, typically a week before the NFL Draft. League officials must do some guesswork and projecting in terms of what rosters will look like, which teams are buzz-worthy and which teams could leave them empty-handed if that promise isn't fulfilled.

Right now, the Giants are a team that could satisfy the early requirement for having some intrigue with uncertainty for how good they'll be as the season progresses.

In other words, the networks will want to get the Giants in September if they can.

That's why Patriots-Giants does offer some appeal as a season opener.

Email: stapleton@northjersey.com

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